How to Get Your Email Marketing Program Holiday-Ready

Email address:

Connect with Author

With more than a decade of email experience, Anthony embraces educating and advising email marketers on the latest trends and insights within the email industry. In his work as Director of Product Marketing at 250ok, Anthony oversees launching new products and services through participating and influencing go-to-market strategies, supporting collateral, and brand evangelism. Before joining 250ok, Anthony served in a number of leadership roles at Salesforce, including Deliverability Practice lead and Associate Principal of Deliverability Services.

Anthony Chiulli, Director of Product Marketing, 250ok shares some valuable tips on email marketing readiness as we head into the 2018 holiday season.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday emails started as early as October 24 in 2017. We’re predicting the marketing emails will start landing in inboxes even earlier this year, as the weekend after Thanksgiving has evolved into an event that looks more like a sport than shopping.

THE ULTIMATE MARKETING AUTOMATION BUYERS GUIDE FOR 2020 AND BEYOND

Pick Or Upgrade To The Right Marketing Automation Solution To Power Your Growth Story.

We recently partnered with MailChartsto analyze 10,296 emails sent by the top 1,000 internet retail brands for Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2017 to better understand the tactics they used to get consumers shopping. The findings below fueled our tips for getting your marketing plan holiday-ready in time for the rush.

1, Prioritize timing

While the majority of Black Friday emails were sent ahead of the shopping holiday (as early as 30 days in advance), the bulk of Cyber Monday emails were sent on Cyber Monday itself. Surprisingly, 20 percent of retailers sent a post-Black Friday email, while 26 percent sent a post-Cyber Monday email up to a week after the holiday, usually to announce the extension of sale prices. To ensure your timing is on point when it’s time to hit send on holiday marketing emails, you should begin preparations now. In the weeks leading up to Halloween, you should aim to finalize your holiday targeting strategy by re-engaging any lapsed or inactive subscribers that you haven't engaged with recently. Additionally, marketers should find meaningful ways to stay connected with their subscribers year-round to reduce long-term, non-engaged segments of the email list.

2. Make an offer they cannot refuse

In 2017, “percentage off a purchase” was the incentive retailers used most often to entice shoppers, followed by “dollars off” a purchase. However, what works for some won’t work for all. Allow for flexibility in your marketing campaign plan to let the metrics speak for themselves. If your unsubscribe rates or spam placement rates spike, adjust your strategy accordingly. The holidays are not the time for win-back or re-engagement campaigns. When it’s time for holiday deployment, focus only on your subscriber base who have been actively engaged with your brand to avoid risk and unwanted delivery issues.

3. Balance your marketing channels

An overwhelming majority of consumers prefer email to other marketing channels, but that doesn’t mean you can’t leverage other channels to get back into the inbox. If you haven’t “heard” from someone via email in 10 months, consider sending a push notification to their phone to make sure the email address on file is correct. This is an organic way to clean up your email lists and naturally re-introduce subscribers to your emails. On the flipside, however, don’t force a non-email person into your subscriber list. Use non-engagement as a sign that those consumers are not email people and reach them another way. Engage with your audience and subscribers on the channel on which they are most comfortable.

4. Adjust frequency gradually

Email volume naturally increases during the holidays. However, doubling your email volume in a single day will have your carefully crafted emails deferred queued, or potentially blocked. The holidays are not the time play games with brand reputation. Gradually build up the volume in advance of peak sending days to help establish volume expectations with mailbox providers and avoid volume spikes. Respond to engagement rates, click rates, and unsubscribe rates throughout your holiday campaign. If “unsubscribes” go through the roof, dial it back. Don’t keep pushing if your metrics are advising you to do otherwise. Watch the results and be ready to make changes accordingly.

The holidays are a busy time for everyone, your customers included. By giving yourself time to solidify marketing strategy, engaging with your audience on their preferred platforms and adjusting volume gradually, your holiday marketing program will be a success!